Double-decker buses ride into Baltimore

TRIP TIPS

October 2, 2005

There's a new, decidedly British way to catch the sights of Baltimore -- double-decker buses.

Baltimore is the second city in the United States, after Philadelphia, to offer the services of London's Big Bus Co. and its open-top, double-deckers. The buses will offer 90-minute guided tours. Riders will be able to hop on and off at tourist attractions all over the city, including the National Aquarium, Harborplace, Maryland Zoo, Edgar Allan Poe's grave and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Tours originate at the Baltimore Visitor Center on Light Street, running on a continuous one-hour loop from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets, which are good for 24 hours, are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students, $10 for ages 4-12 and free for ages 3 and younger.

For more information, call 410-396-6611.

All aboard

If the romance of riding the rails stimulates the travel part of your brain, the latest edition of Outside magazine might send you heading for the station.

Budget is offering deals on a variety of vehicles for customers who agree to avoid airport locations in favor of the rental-car company's 400 "neighborhood" stores.

Under the promotion, good through Dec. 5, compact cars are $18 per weekend and $139 per week, midsize cars are $26 per weekend and $174 per week, and full-size cars are $29 per day and $194 per week.

Larger vehicles, including minivans and SUVs, are also available at discounted rates. Use code U030146 when booking. For more information, call 1-800-283-4387, or visit budget.com.

Flying high

If you like a taste of the grape in-flight, you'll want to know that the results are in for Global Traveler magazine's "Wines on the Wing" survey. And you might be surprised that an American airline has taken top honors.

United Airlines is the big winner in this business-travel magazine's annual taste test of the best airlines for wine lovers.

Do you want high-class accommodations but not the crowds of mega-resorts? Now you can find low-traffic luxury at slh.com, the Internet home of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

The site offers a database of more than 300 properties at locations across the globe. You can search for resorts by region or specific destination to find brief descriptions, rates, photographs, contact information, printable brochures and more.